ü -,;:.() «...» English Grammar & Style A Handbook for South Tyrol / Südtirol
English Grammar & Style 2 Introduction This handbook is intended principally for English translators working in South Tyrol. Nowadays non-native speakers have to work more and more with English, especially on websites. The aim of this guide is to provide this broader audience with the tools needed to avoid common mistakes that lower text quality.
English Grammar & Style 3 Index 1. General p. 4 2. Capital Letters p. 5 3. Quotation Marks p. 6 4. Use of Italics p. 7 5. Clarity of Names p. 7 6. Hyphens & Dashes p. 8 7. Words Behaving Badly p. 9 8. Formatting p. 10 9. Paragraphs p. 11 This guide was compiled and written expressly for SMG by Cassandra Han. For English text questions, translations and editing services, please contact: Pfarrplatz 3 (piazza Duomo) 39012 Meran (Merano) Italy Cassandra Han +39 342 1602212 info@bluepencil.it www.bluepencil.it
English Grammar & Style 4 General 1.1 The decision about whether to follow British or American spelling and word usage (1) is a style choice. Once you make a choice, however, stay consistent. Since South Tyrol s target audience encompasses many non-native speakers, avoid slang. 1.2 The active voice is usually much clearer and more interesting than the passive voice. Don t be afraid to change a passive German or Italian sentence into the active voice. Example Active voice: We made mistakes. Passive voice: Mistakes were made. 1.3 A single German word or phrase may contain very complex ideas. Break down elaborate thoughts and long sentences into smaller units. Similarly, rearrange your syntax so that it conforms to the norms of written English. 1.4 Avoid translating literally. Make the extra effort to transfer the idea into common English usage. Example Literal translation: No closing day (Kein Ruhetag). Better: Open daily or Open 7 days a week. 1.5 Understanding context raises the quality of your text. Is this a marketing slogan? Is it an item on a drop-down menu? Will the text appear in print or will it be used online? Who is the target audience? 1.6 Many publications and websites are low in quality because non-native speakers translate some words or phrases. Translators: be aware that additional text if often added later. Ask to see the PDF or the beta version of the website. Clients: Ideally, a reliable professional translates every word. In the worst-case scenario, have all text checked by a reliable professional. (1) For comparisons between U.K. and U.S. usage, please see: http://oxforddictionaries.com/words/british-and-american-spelling
English Grammar & Style 5 Capital Letters Capitalization is tricky in English, particularly for German speakers. Capitalization changes depending on context, so you can t apply one rule across the board. In this section, note what is a grammatical rule and what is style choice. 2.1 Grammatical rule: capitalize proper nouns but not common nouns. Example Common noun: I bit into a big apple. Proper noun: The Big Apple is my favorite city. 2.2 Proper nouns are specific people, places, organizations and things. Examples River Thames Brooklyn Bridge Mount Everest South Tyrol Rosengarten Massif The Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle South Tyrolean Wine Road Merano Wine Festival 2.3 Capitalization sends a powerful marketing signal to English speakers: Example South Tyrol family hotels = all family hotels in South Tyrol South Tyrol Family Hotels = brand name 2.4 Capitalization can even change the meaning of a word: Example alpine = of or related to high mountains Alpine = of or related to the Alps 2.5 Deciding whether to use title case or sentence case (2) for headings is a style choice. Once you make a choice, however, be consistent. Examples Title case: Sentence case: Contact Us Things to Do Protesters Clash With Police in New York. Contact us Things to do Protesters clash with police in New York. (2) For comprehensive rules regarding title case capitalization, we recommend the Associated Press Stylebook or the Chicago Manual of Style (subscriptions available online). For a simple (and free) explanation, see: http://suite101.com/article/how-to-write-in-title-case-a73866
English Grammar & Style 6 Quotation Marks English usage of quotation marks is limited. Mistakes can produce an unwanted humorous effect. 3.1 Set the following in quotation marks: Yes Direct quotations: Shakespeare s most famous line is, To be or not to be. Titles of minor works, short stories, songs, and newspaper articles, etc. Words as words: The word processor came into usage around 1910. Nicknames embedded within a name: Michael Mike the Butcher Virtuoso Ironic usage: Ukrainian UN troops quit Gorazde safe haven. 3.2 Translators often mistakenly carry over quotation marks from the original. Do NOT use quotation marks like this: No Proper nouns: Castle Trauttmansdorff, Café Darling, Kurhaus. Foreign words: Speck dumplings, the tradition of Törggelen. Nicknames (except as above): Pale Mountains, Empress Elisabeth or Sissi. Slogans and brands: Qualität Südtirol, Kneipp treatments, Trehs products. Events: Ketschtnriggl Festival, the Garden Nights world music series. 3.3 Use English-style quotation marks. Examples Deutsch style Italiano style English or English (3) style 3.4 In English, quotation marks are often used to convey irony. Using quotation marks where they aren t necessary can be very funny (4). Below, for example, unnecessary quotation marks make an Alpine holiday sound like it is anything but active: Example The experts for an active alpine holiday (3) In U.S. usage, double quotation marks ( ) are generally used unless there is a quote within a quote, in which case single quotation marks ( ) are used. In UK usage, the opposite is generally true. (4) To get a feel about how quotation marks can destroy your English-language communications, please see: The Blog of Unnecessary Quotation Marks at http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com/
English Grammar & Style 7 Use of Italics 4.1 Set foreign-language words in italics. Retaining German and Italian words gives the reader a feel for South Tyrol s unique culture. It also helps people find places and order in restaurants. Adding a descriptive word helps the reader understand what is meant. Examples Stube parlor, Knödel or canederli dumplings, Speck ham, Waalweg trail, the Lauben or portici arcades, the tradition of Törggelen 4.2 Set titles of books, films, newspapers, works of art, operas, television shows, plays and art exhibitions in italics. If italicization is not possible due to graphic design or software issues, quotation marks may be used. Example Recipes for South Tyrol s most popular Christmas treats, provided by So kocht Südtirol authors Gasteiger, Bachmann and Weiser Clarity of Names Clear, consistent usage of names is essential. Names are more accessible to English speakers when they are translated into English. Some entities prefer to leave their name in the original language, however, so check what is used on the English page of the relevant website. 5.1 When translating a name, always find out the exact wording in use. Example New York University = a prestigious university in Greenwich Village University of New York = exists only on television 5.2 The order of German and Italian words often sounds backwards to an English speaker. If you translate a name into English, adjust word order accordingly. German/Italian Schloss Tirol, Ristorante Schlossgarten, Hotel Greif, Bar Piccolo English Buckingham Palace, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Hard Rock Café 5.3 If you retain the original language, retain the original word order. 5.4 When an entity has made a clear choice between a German and Italian name, use that name only. Checking the logo used on the German and Italian pages of the website to see if it varies from language to language is a good way to verify that a clear choice has been made.
English Grammar & Style 8 Hyphens & Dashes Properly distinguishing between hyphens and dashes makes text look clean. Hyphen: - En dash: (width of the letter n ) Em dash: (width of the letter m ) 6.1 Some of the ways hyphens are used include:» Spelling out numbers, in certain cases: thirty-two, one-third completed» Compound adjectives: well-known painter BUT the painter was well known» Compound verbs: to ice-skate» Splitting a word into two lines (hyphenation) (5) 6.2 Use en dashes instead of hyphens to replace the word to and to join pairs. Examples 2010 2012 January May Italian Austrian border 6.3 An en or em dash may be used to set off a separate thought within a sentence. The en dash usually has a space on either side. An em dash is used in the same way, often without a space on either side. A hyphen should not be used here. Yes En dash: South Tyrol is the northernmost and only German speaking region of Italy. Yes Em dash: South Tyrol is the northernmost and only German speaking region of Italy. No Hyphen: South Tyrol is the northernmost - and only German speaking - region of Italy. (5) You can find a good online hyphenation tool at: http://www.ushuaia.pl/hyphen/?ln=en
English Grammar & Style 9 Words Behaving Badly 7.1 Sometimes two words or phrases look or sound similar in two different languages but differ greatly in meaning or usage (false friends). Some words also just behave differently in English than they do in Italian or German. PLURALS: Plural and singular forms often do not translate directly. INFORMATION: The plurals informations and infos do not exist in English. SO-CALLED: Avoid unless you intend a sarcastic connotation. SUGGESTIVE: Carries a sexual connotation in English. ACCOMMODATIONS: Note spelling: two c s and two m s. U.S. usage prefers the plural form while UK usage prefers the singular form. Lodging is a neutral option. IMPRESSIONS: English usage differs. Use Photo Gallery if that is what you mean. IMPRESSUM: Word does not exist in English. Use About, Credits or Legal Notices on websites. For print, there is usually no heading above the masthead. ERLEBNIS: Try to avoid literal translations like adventure pool. Research what you are describing and find a better way. FREIE-ZIMMER-SUCHE: Free rooms sounds like they are kostenlos or gratuite. Use available rooms instead. EMOTIONS: The Italian usage doesn t translate well. Use experience shower rather than emotion shower, for example. BIO: Use organic in reference to foods produced without chemicals and pesticides. AKTIV: Often tricky to translate in a way that doesn t sound strange. Reword as necessary. VITAL: In English, the word vital means lebenswichtig. RELAX: Italian often uses the word relax as a noun. In English, it is a verb. Relaxation is the noun. 7.2 German speakers often make one word out of two English words. Do not carry them over into your text. Use your spell checker or consult a dictionary. Examples Mountainbike and skiarea are not words in the English language.
English Grammar & Style 10 Formatting 8.1 Formatting of numbers, dates and times correctly is a relatively small detail, but makes a big difference visually for English speakers. GERMAN/ITALIAN STYLE Numbers: 64,35 13.458,35 145.876,34 1,2 million Dates: 07.06.13 is 7 June 2013 ENGLISH STYLE Numbers: 64.35 13,458.35 145,876.34 1.2 million Dates: 07.06.13 is 6 July 2013 Times: 17.00 12:00 12.01 24.00 24.01 Times: 5:00 p.m. 12:00 noon 12:01 p.m. 12:00 midnight 12:01 a.m. 8.2 There is also the possibility of misunderstandings due to formatting differences. Note above that 07.06.13 may be understood by many English speakers (especially in the U.S.) as 6 July 2013. The preferred way to treat dates, space allowing, is to write them out: 7 June 2013.
English Grammar & Style 11 Paragraphs Always start a new paragraph either with an indent OR by inserting a blank line in between the final sentence of one paragraph and the first sentence of the next. Yes Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Fusce iaculis felis vel ante varius tincidunt. Morbi et rutrum risus. Nulla facilisis suscipit lorem, nec pretium arcu facilisis quis. Pellentesque lorem tellus, hendrerit id bibendum vitae, aliquet et tortor. Morbi id molestie diam. Nulla ullamcorper, mi sit amet rutrum volutpat, nisl nibh condimentum eo, ac sollicitudin eros diam quis massa. Pellentesque tristique orci vitae lectus placerat vitae tincidunt est blandit. (BLANK LINE) Vestibulum venenatis, lorem et cursus tincidunt, lorem libero molestie nisi, vitae aliquam odio odio at massa. In ullamcorper egestas orci, at dignissim lacus mattis eu. Quisque lobortis nisi ut ante sodales volutpat. Yes (INDENT) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Fusce iaculis felis vel ante varius tincidunt. Morbi et rutrum risus. Nulla facilisis suscipit lorem, nec pretium arcu facilisis quis. Pellentesque lorem tellus, hendrerit id bibendum vitae, aliquet et tortor. Morbi id molestie diam. Nulla ullamcorper, mi sit amet rutrum volutpat, nisl nibh condimentum leo, ac sollicitudin eros diam quis massa. Pellentesque tristique orci vitae lectus placerat vitae tincidunt est blandit. (INDENT) Vestibulum venenatis, lorem et cursus tincidunt, lorem libero molestie nisi, vitae aliquam odio odio at massa. In ullamcorper egestas orci, at dignissim lacus mattis eu. Quisque lobortis nisi ut ante sodales volutpat. No Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Fusce iaculis felis vel ante varius tincidunt. Morbi et rutrum risus. Nulla facilisis suscipit lorem, nec pretium arcu facilisis quis. Pellentesque lorem tellus, hendrerit id bibendum vitae, aliquet et tortor. Morbi id molestie diam. Nulla ullamcorper, mi sit amet rutrum volutpat, nisl nibh condimentum leo, ac sollicitudin eros diam quis massa. Pellentesque tristique orci vitae lectus placerat vitae tincidunt est blandit. Vestibulum venenatis, lorem et cursus tincidunt, lorem libero molestie nisi, vitae aliquam odio odio at massa. In ullamcorper egestas orci, at dignissim lacus mattis eu. Quisque lobortis nisi ut ante sodales volutpat.
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